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Google is really pushing SSL, with some recent announcements aimed at getting the web secure. Those sites still on http – in whole or in part – need to migrate the entire site to SSL early this next year to stay in Google’s good graces. With “Mobilepocalypse”, we saw that Google makes an announcement before they bring the “beat down”. So now is the time to start planning your migration. SSL is a good change Having SSL encryption between server and user eliminates eavesdropping and “man-in-the-middle” attacks that threaten both site visitors and the site itself! While SSL comes in different varieties of encryption, and has gone through a few security issues the last couple of years (“heartbleed”, etc), it’s an improvement for both privacy and security. More and more organic traffic is being counted as Direct traffic by Google. It’s how they count anything that goes from an https site to http site, RFC 2676.  We are seeing a sudden surge in this “some organic has become direct” across client accounts. It’s a full website migration Changing an entire site to https can be a pretty major website migration, as all URLs change. All internal and external links, scripts, images, iframes, stemap.xml URLs, canonical tags and other tags need to be checked. 301 redirects In the migration, all URLs that start with http will need to be 301 redirected to their https equivalent. And it needs to be a single hop. We’ve seen server configurations that have a whole chain of redirects going from 301 to a 302 back to a 301, so it’s good to check redirects thoroughly. Without a single 301 redirect, link authority is discarded by Google – and that means rankings are not maximized. Links / References to http resources and URLs After the migration, all URLs should be 301 redirecting – and all references to them within the site’s html should as well. We’ve seen many internal links that are actually absolute links such as: <a href=”http://www.site.com/contact-us”>Contact Us</a> instead of relative links such as <a href=”/contact-us”>Contact Us</a> Page speed Keep an eye on page speed before and after the transition to SSL. The server’s processor needs a bit more time for the SSL encryption and transactions. Server response times can increase a little or a lot based on it’s configuration. And it’s best to go in to the migration with a super-fast website. Google Search Console In Google Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools), it’s important to verify the SSL version of your website. If Bing is a significant source of traffic, you should also verify the SSL version of the site there. Inbound links After the migration, it’s a great idea to reach out to important sites linking to you. Not only is it an excellent way to keep those relationships, but having inbound links change to reference your https URLs maximizes link authority. And a direct link to the new URL is better than a 301 redirect. Consider a press release Why not consider a press release afterward, professing your commitment to the security and privacy of your visitors? If you haven’t made the switch to HTTPS, now is the time to start. And if you have made the switch, be sure to have us double-check your work! PSST! Need a Free Link? Get a free link for your agency: Would you like our monthly take on the changing world of SEO delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to the Hyper Dog Media SEO Newsletter HERE! When you subscribe, each newsletter will contain a link idea for your business!

The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) world continues to evolve at break-neck speed. Constant change is the only constant, as even the machine learning that governs the algorithms is in constant flux. The year 2016 will be no different, and here are the items to have on your radar. Here are 4 things to focus your efforts on in 2016: 1. Mobile Mobile is seen as last year’s concern in many ways but there is much to do beyond Google’s mobile friendly tool: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ Speed is everything, and takes on extra importance for mobile. Marketers must make sure they pass Google’s speed test: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/ Just because Google doesn’t have a factor in it’s own public test, doesn’t mean Google doesn’t notice. Internal tests, and the engagement metrics from actual users are influenced by speed, so it’s increasingly vital. So take a good look at speed suggestions from 3rd party sources: https://gtmetrix.com/ Searchmetrics recently released their first-ever Mobile Ranking Factors report, and found the 10 highest-ranking pages take an average of 1.10 seconds to load! 2. Rich Snippets / Schema Seen review stars in Google’s results before? These are likely from “schema” code elements on the web page itself. Code elements such as Rich Snippets have been shown to boost a site’s click-through-rate in organic results, increase visibility, increase sharing – but they also help communicate with Googlebot and other search engine crawlers. A variety of Rich Snippets should be employed on your site this year: Schema elements have been shown to increase rankings 4 places, and click-through rates 30% in various studies. Different schema rich snippet examples can be found at http://schema.org, which is a collaboration between the major search engines. Some types include products, ratings, events, recipes, locations, people, etc. Social media networks have come up with their ideas for Rich snippets as well: Facebook open graph tags LinkedIn cards Twitter cards Pinterest pincards Consider how a Tweet of a site using Twitter cards looks better than the standard Tweet: It shows a larger image on Twitter, which provides a much richer experience for viewers of that Tweet. And there are many different types of Twitter cards too: Galleries, large images, video players, etc. As Google tries to answer many queries now right in it’s search engine results, you may need to provide “Rich Answers” to Google. This can mean extra brand visibility, but less traffic to your site. Still, if Google is featuring a brand at the top of their results, you’ll want it to be yours! 3. Distribute Your Content for Link Authority Content marketing is the new link building. And many brands are creating content, but not marketing it. Creating relevant content for your prospects is authentic marketing. With the right approach, that content is a valuable asset and can also boost rankings! When done correctly, content marketing brings: social sharing brand visibility inbound links (with authority) referral traffic Search Engine Optimization will always be ever-changing: Technology is moving at breakneck speeds and search engines have ever-changing criteria and expectations. Having these six items on your radar will help carry you nicely into the New Year, and then some. The year 2016 may be completely different, but these are good solid investments of time and money. 4. Be Ready for More Penalties Google’s Panda penalties are assessed against sites that do not have their house in order, and trust us that sites can go into disarray so very easily! Broken links, missing pages not redirecting, thin pages, duplicate content are all challenges websites deal with. But Google’s Phantom Updates and Penguin Penalties have also had a tremendous impact of website visibility. Be aware, and be ready! PSST! Need a Free Link? Get a free link for your agency: Would you like our monthly take on the changing world of SEO delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to the Hyper Dog Media SEO Newsletter HERE! When you subscribe, each newsletter will contain a link idea for your business!

Gary Illyes of Google indicated the next Penguin update is by end-of-year. While not acknowledged by Gary Illes, this Penguin update is rumored to be continuous, and apermanent part of Google’s algorithm. If the rumors are true, it will be welcome relief for manysites that are penalized, making amends (through disavowing, etc), and waiting up to a year to see the penalty lifted. There has actually been some confusion, spread by Google,as to whether these updates are “realtime & continuous” or not. Gone are the days where a penalty might be matched up between dates of Google updates and a sudden loss of rankings and traffic. 1. Use your keywords, in a natural way Be relevant for your keywords, but don’t get crazy. Make sure you are not over-optimizing on your site around a limited set of keywords. Consider that the more competitive the topic, the more content you need AROUND the topic. The wrong approach is becoming repetitive and beyond what feels like natural, human readable content. 2. Disavow bad links Links can go bad: Sites get penalized, or maybe Google changes their guidelines. Regardless, link disavowal is an important part of modern SEO. It can be hard to find all sources of links, but start with Webmaster Tools. We also subscribe to many tools for link research: Google hasn’t found all of your site’s bad links yet, and they also do not report all of the links they do find! 3. Maximize your good links Many times pages move or removed from a site, and Google stops counting the inbound links (from other sites) to those pages. What a huge loss of authority this can be! Now is the time to maximize your existing link authority: Simply 301 redirect old links to their proper new locations. 4. Get more good links Google weighs hundreds of factors in ranking websites, but links consistently have been shown to be a top factor. The best way to get great links is to be awesome, or produce awesome content – and then get the word out! And Google Panda is allegedly STILL rolling out – since July! So make sure your Technical SEO house is in order. PSST! Need a Free Link? Get a free link for your agency: Would you like our monthly take on the changing world of SEO delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to the Hyper Dog Media SEO Newsletter HERE! When you subscribe, each newsletter will contain a link idea for your business!

Remember back when Google focused on the user? Back before organic results were overtaken with PPC ads and knowledge graphs – and back before ads triggered by last night’s searches? It was a simpler time. Apple’s bold new moves hearken back to this simpler time, and their emphasis on user experience is likely to be a big win. 1. Ad blocking As mobile has exploded, the rise of mobile advertising has meant big profits for Google. Ads have made the mobile experience somewhat undesirable, with bandwidth usage and speed being the primary factors. It’s no wonder that one of the new “Ad blockers” allowed by Apple was named Peace. Click-through-rates on mobile have long been suspiciously high, thanks to the fingers of users navigating free apps filled with advertisements. We once audited a manufacturing company’s PPC account to find the amazing clickthrough in their app ads were simply toddlers playing a construction game. This abuse is what prompted change. With one fell swoop, Apple allowed ad blockers at a level that both apps and browsers can be cleansed of ads. Early feedback is that mobile browsing is quite pleasant, and ad blocking is likely to go mainstream. This isn’t just a big shift for mobile ads, but also for remarketing/retargeting ads. With remarketing, ads can be displayed based on sites you’ve visited, shopping carts you’ve abandoned, or even searches you’ve made. It’s a great way to stay in front of – or even annoy – your audience. With one fell swoop, ad blocking apps are likely to snuff out remarketing opportunities as well. 2. Spotlight “Apple’s spotlight is the stealth search engine you’ve been using,” says Jason Calacanis. Spotlight is fueled by Bing, and provides search as part of the operating system. No need to even visit a website to search. And app results are often prioritized above web results! There are also no ads in Spotlight, and no privacy concerns. It’s hard to say how Spotlight will evolve, but “Applebot” has been crawling the web since Spring 2015. It even follows directives in robots.txt specifically for Googlebot! This is likely to make a small dent in Google’s business, regardless.   Reactions from the advertising industry are across the entire spectrum of responses: Some say users won’t go to the trouble of setting up ad blocking, others see this as an ad-pocalypse. But with change always comes opportunity. And without ads everywhere, where to spend ad dollars? SEO (search engine optimization): As long as machines are trying to rank content, there will be place for SEO. Merchants will want their products to come up first on Amazon, Google, Etsy, and everywhere else buyers are searching. PPC (pay per click): Most ad blockers are likely not going to block PPC ads. But aren’t Google and Facebook just giant ad networks with search/social features?! ASO: App search optimization to get those deeplinks in apps in front of Spotlight. App developers will always want to outrank competitors in app stores, as well. Native Ads: Native ads look like content on the site itself. Advertorials, featured and sponsored content can be hard for both humans and software to pick out. A brave new world lies ahead!

With Hyper Dog Media turning 11 this month, we having been looking back at the most common SEOproblems created by website redesigns. On some website redesigns, we’ve been on the team preventingthese SEO killers from happening. But in the vast majority of cases, we are brought in after a web redesign kills organic – and sometimes referral – traffic. Here are four potential problems we see time and again 1. 301 redirects of old pages As website technologies have evolved, so have URLs. An oft forgotten part of website redesigns is the 301 redirecting of old page locations. Traffic can shrink instantly, but the conventional point of view was that Google will figure it out. I’m not sure if that approach ever worked – for anyone – but especially now it is absolutely vital to 301 redirect old page locations to their new equivalents. Not only should URLs be redirected from the previous version of the site, but of ALL previous versions of a site. Doing so helps these key visitor groups stay happy: Visitors that have bookmarked a page: Don’t make these folks return to Google when they could stay on your site. Search engines that have ranked a page: If a page is ranking well, you don’t want to lose that! Webmasters that have linked to your page: Dead links tend to get removed. But also, 301 redirects preserve the rankings boost from these inbound links. Visitors to other sites that have followed a link to your page: Referral visitors are notoriously impatient when links are dead. Having dynamic content in various stages of the web’s development has often meant having various suffixes on URLs: .shtml, .pl, .php and/or many different parameters. Have you redirected these? Consider pulling ancient page URLs from analytics, archive.org, and even old backups. We’ve seen rankings boosts among clients that justify this level of obsession with 301 redirects! 2. Handling the development site Blocking During the development phase, Google can sometimes discover new website versions. It is fascinating the many ways Google can discover content… until they find and penalize for duplicate content! Unblocking You blocked the development version? Excellent. Now don’t forget to unblock when you go live! Whether it’s a robots.txt file, password authentication, or robots metatags on the pages, we’ve seen these blocking techniques go live with the new site. Make it part of your launch checklist to remove these. The consequences of lost indexed pages, traffic and rankings are severe and all too easy. Removing In the rush to launch a new website, the development server might be left behind. These old subdomains or subdirectories have a way of showing up, though! Make sure you nuke that old server (from space, it’s the only way to be sure!). Or, just take it offline. 3. 404 error pages With larger web development changes, the 404 error page can disappear. Or it might start returning a 302 redirect! If your site has changed CMS, web server, or scripting languages make sure a friendly 404 error page comes up for missing pages, has analytics code on it, and returns a code 404. 4. Canonical tags Canonical tags are a wonderful way to prevent duplicate content penalties. Unfortunately, some things can go wrong. We’ve seen sites that describe every version of a page as canonical, which is like communicating noise to Googlebot. It’s worse than saying nothing at all. One valid implementation we’ve seen causing trouble is the use of relative canonical tags. We’ve seen a tag such as this: <link rel=”canonical” href=”/services” /> show up on several subdomains/ protocols: http://www.site.com/services http://site.com/services https://www.site.com/services https://site.com/services This can confuse Googlebot, as both pages are describing themselves as the canonical version. It’s best to use an absolute URL, and make sure your server isn’t spitting this out for both http and https: <link rel=”canonical” href=”https://www.site.com//services” /> 5. Old dirty sitemap.xml files The sitemap.xml file is an excellent way to communicate URLs to Google, along with freshness and priority. But we encounter many sitemap.xml files that are full of these problems: Old, dead, missing pages URLs that redirect URLs that do not match what Google can crawl, or those listed in canonical tags And here are two more problems we can see likely to happen in redesigns this year: 6. HTTPS Implementation HTTPS was added as a small ranking signal in the last year, and many sites have made the switch. Or have they? Often image files, 3rd party scripts, or other elements mean that not all page elements are https. Google has let this slide, but recently Google said last week that may change. 7. Mobile Friendly pages The mobile update ranks pages individually, so it’s important to test your site’s most important landing pages on mobile devices. But also check devices are indeed triggering mobile sites to show: Even big brands such as Noodles & Company can discover their mobile site isn’t being triggered. Websites are meant to be changed. Not only do prospects expect fresh content and design at proper intervals, but search engines do too! With Google’s newest updates, there are more changes happening than ever. Change is good. Embrace change, and redesign that site – but be careful not to make these common mistakes! PSST! Need a Free Link? Get a free link for your agency: Would you like our monthly take on the changing world of SEO delivered to your inbox?Subscribe to the Hyper Dog Media SEO Newsletter HERE! When you subscribe, each newsletter will contain a link idea for your business!

Google is constantly evolving, as the internet itself has evolved. Some of the many questions Google has asked to keep itself relevant include: How are people searching? How should results be formatted? How many answers does the user want? Are recommendations from friends helpful in this search? Is this a local search? Website QualityGoogle just unveiled a Panda Update the SEO community is calling “Panda version 4.2”. While the update is just beginning a months-long rollout, it is likely to be looking at many of the same technical SEO issues as previous Panda updates. There are likely many more Website Quality criteria being evaluated by Google as well. User ExperienceMetrics such as Click-Through-Rate, Bounce Rate, and “Time On Site” all can give insight as to user experience on a site.  These can be influenced with videos, widgets, and marketing. Do the presence of these mean a high quality site? Not always, but it’s likely possible for Google to understand quite a bit – thanks to human “website quality raters”, big data from analytics, YouTube, so much more. Inbound LinksGoogle has invested blood, sweat and tears into cleaning up the link ecosystem. Their previous policy of ignoring poor quality inbound links meant 10 years of quick-and-dirty link building. But in the last three years, link earning and content marketing have become the best way forward. Google isn’t about to abandon inbound links as a major ranking factor in their algorithm at this point: They have invested too much into it! Recent comments from Googlers have included “I wouldn’t focus on link building just now” and “never ask for a link” are easily misinterpreted. Google treats good quality inbound links as a positive review, and would rather have these happen organically – instead of part of a campaign. Links should happen because of the quality of content, the helpfulness of the site: Seeking undeserved positive reviews, and inbound links without earning them, has been out for some time. Google+ Less ImportantGoogle+ is no longer required on YouTube. This ramping down of Google+ has been happening since last year, with zero user backlash. Google+ usage was too low to provide great social signals data. Many people were forced to get an account, so the numbers were impressive – but engagement was always horribly low. It always seemed to us that SEOs, and other marketers, used it begrudgingly. Social signalsTwitter admitted 5% of it’s users are likely fake, with other source setting the number at 10% instead. That’s still pretty low. And if it’s easy for an independent audit to measure, Google can easily see and disregard that data. In a user’s social feed, they are curating content to help their audience. Links send traffic, and could be a ranking signal at some point. It’s been two years since Google helped debunk a study showing social signals influenced rankings. The future is likely to have social signals as part of the formula for some audiences. PSST! Need a Free Link?  Get a free link for your agency: Would you like our monthly take on the changing world of SEO delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to the Hyper Dog Media SEO Newsletter HERE! When you subscribe, each newsletter will contain a link idea for your business!

Google’s updates have been focused around penalizing bad behavior: low quality links, duplicate or thin content, ad heavy pages, doorway pages, and more. But at the beginning of May, a mysterious Google update was released that looks to be more focused on boosting the right sites. Google officially claimed there was no update, then later admitted to a “quality update” – and to the core algorithm! 1. Good Design  Structure of your site:  Websites structured around their main audiences tend to be structured (with “silos”) around their main keywords. This site structure makes it easy for both prospects and Googlebot to understand your site. With breadcrumb navigation, it’s very easy to communicate site structure. And with schema support, it’s an even better idea. Variety of content: Are you mixing in photos, videos, infographics, slides and the many other kinds of content? Consider this a quiz (which is another piece of content). Which of the types of content are on your site? 2. Good Content Original content/not syndicated: Syndication is more confusing than ever, despite the existence of the canonical tag. Sharing on your site first is vital. For authority sites such as linkedin.com, business2community.com and others, the best results come with rewriting a unique shortened version of your content. Links to related content on your site:  When a site visitor is reading about one topic, it’s a great idea to showcase related articles. This too can have an effect, as you are linking to other articles about your main keyword or concept. Hummingbird can understand concepts, but it’s always been valuable to talk around your main keywords. Having good content all around a certain topic makes a site the authority on that topic. Not too many ads, no deceptive ads:  SEO Glen Gabe noticed sites with ads hidden in the content sunk in this Quality Update. Some sites were hiding ads in with their content, making ad links look very similar to links to content on the site. Gabe points this out in his excellent analysis of sites hit by the Quality Update stating, “I also saw deceiving ads that blended way too much with the content”. Not thin: Thin content such as tag pages or short articles won’t make the cut. It’s ironic that tweets are now at the top of many Google search engine result pages, but that Google also abhors thin content. Don’t be fooled by Google’s new-found love for those 160 characters: Good articles tend to be fully thought out pieces of 1000 WORDS or more! You might get by with 450 words, but really try to make your content deeper articles of 650 words plus. Numbers are nearly as important as the quality of the piece though. No low quality user generated content:  User generated content sounds like a dream come true for many site owners, but policing the quality of comments, uploads, and topics can become quite a task. Sites such as answers.com and wikihow.com were hit in the Quality Update, and, have begun cleanup as well. Want to learn more about the update? Visit Glenn Gabe’s analysis or this great article at SEMPost. PSST! Need a Free Link?  Get a free link for your agency: Would you like our monthly take on the changing world of SEO delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to the Hyper Dog Media SEO Newsletter HERE! When you subscribe, each newsletter will contain a link idea for your business!